The Data-Driven Top School List (The “Corona Season” 2020 – 2021)

What schools are best at getting students into top American ballet companies? Our Instagram - @datapointes For the vast majority, ballet training does not lead to a sustained career as a professional ballet dancer. To have a shot at the top, you likely had to do at least one of these three things: 1. Go … Continue reading The Data-Driven Top School List (The “Corona Season” 2020 – 2021) →

Second Company, Professional Division, Trainee Programs (Part 1)

How common is it for dancers to join second company-like programs in 26 American ballet companies? Our Instagram - @datapointes Over the past decades, various programs have popped up bringing students straight out of training schools into company life. These programs take students in their late teens to early twenties when professional ambitions are more … Continue reading Second Company, Professional Division, Trainee Programs (Part 1) →

An Absolutely, Whole-heartedly, Unbiased Top School List

What schools are best at getting students into top American ballet companies? This ain't your grandma's top ballet school list. Here at Data Pointes, we use numbers to back our claims and today we take another look at schooling. For the vast majority, ballet training does not lead to a sustained career as a professional … Continue reading An Absolutely, Whole-heartedly, Unbiased Top School List →

The Missing 53: Black Representation in Ballet

How many Black ballet dancers are there in American ballet? While American ballet companies employ a large number of international dancers, ballet has been criticized for a lack of diversity, specifically regarding Black dancers. While increasingly discussed in articles and opinion pieces, ballet insiders are aware that this issue has been persistent. Written pieces raise … Continue reading The Missing 53: Black Representation in Ballet →

A Role for Data in Ballet

Data on dance and specifically ballet is largely private, kept for internal review within arts organizations. So when I began this project, the role of data collection in ballet was unclear. The task seemed intractable. Limited information, spread out between many, many company websites. What insight could be gained? Would there be anything meaningful at … Continue reading A Role for Data in Ballet →

Hiring Revisited (Part 1)

What are the hiring practices of different American ballet companies? Last time we looked at hiring and dancer retention, the focus was on the top 6 companies for the 2018 - 2019 season (https://pointes.data.blog/2019/05/12/youre-hired-fired/). This year at Data Pointes, we've followed up that data but also expanded analysis to the top 22 US companies (well, … Continue reading Hiring Revisited (Part 1) →

Introducing The American Ballet Network

What are the most common paths to getting into a top American ballet company? One of the major goals of Data Pointes is to aid in career decision-making by providing relevant data - empowering dancers, educators, and parents. After a lot of hard work, I am proud to announce the creation of The American Ballet … Continue reading Introducing The American Ballet Network →